Headout: Sort of Sam

WW exclusive: Sam Adams' endorsement for Portland’s next mayor.

OK, so he’s not the mayor, but when singer-songwriter Sam
Adams moved to Portland a year ago from Indiana he quickly got used to
the confusion. This 26-year-old Adams is certainly well-educated (with a
degree in classical and jazz piano performance), and while he admits he
doesn’t know a lot about the candidates running for local office in
2012, he does have some political music (including the fatalistic “We
Are Being Used”). Seeing as how the sitting mayor of Portland hasn’t
gone public with an endorsement for his replacement—it’s debatable
whether his thumbs-up would help or hinder a candidate—the musical Adams
provided us with an endorsement of his own.

WW: How do you feel about these last 3½ years? Is Portland a better place?Sam Adams: Um, well, I’ve only lived here
for a year. But what I have experienced has gone pretty well. I’ve only
seen a couple of issues that are longstanding problems.

What would those issues be?Well, the gentrification. I’ve run into that a couple of
times walking my dog. People yelling out their car windows,
“GENTRIFICATION!” and stuff like that.

What do you think of Jefferson Smith?I have no idea who that is.

He’s one of the guys running for mayor.How do you feel about his “economic gardening strategies”?Yeah, I don’t know them.

OK, so what do you think about Eileen Brady?I don’t know her. But I really like the name Eileen. It reminds me of the old country.

Charlie Hales?Who is it?

Charlie Hales.I read Willamette Week, but I try to avoid those articles.

So, is there any in the pack of candidates you’d endorse?I’d say, go for a Democrat, that’s for sure. Eileen is
good. Her name sounds nice. Eileen is the name of a sweet old lady, and
she’ll bake everyone cookies and, soon, things will be just wonderful.

Headout Picks

THURSDAY, JAN. 5

THE HUGS, SNOW BUD AND THE FLOWER PEOPLE[ODD COUPLE] Whoever thought of pairing local
retro-popsters the Hugs with legendary Portland arch-stoners Snow Bud
and the Flower People has to be some kind of mad genius. Both groups
find principal inspiration in the 1960s, but Snow Bud was founded right
about the time the Hugs were being conceived. Ella Street Social Club,
714 SW 20th Place, 227-0116. 9 pm. $5. 21+.

FRIDAY, JAN. 6

PORTLANDIA[COMMUNAL TV] New season, new catchphrase. It involves
pickles, and we’d rather not spoil it, even though The New Yorker did.
William Shawn would never have allowed his writers to spoil Portlandia
pickle catchphrases. Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 223-4527. 7
pm. Free.

MUSICA MAESTRALE[MUSIC] Ensembles trained to perform Baroque music on the
instruments and in the styles it was composed for used to be rare
treats. Now, they’re happily becoming almost commonplace—but no less a
delight. Several of these players perform in other ensembles and convene
here to play and sing some of the ravishing, dramatic music by
Monteverdi, Dario Castello, Barbara Strozzi and other composers from
17th-century Italy. Community Music Center, 3350 SE Francis St.,
musicamaestrale.org. 7:30 pm. $9-$14.

MONDAY, JAN. 9

ALEXIS SMITH[BOOKS] Alexis Smith’s debut novel, Glaciers, explores
history, memory and place through the thrift-store finds of a single,
twentysomething girl named Isabel. Published locally by Tin House, this
is a must-read for Bloomsbury Group fans. See review, here. Powell’s
City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

TUESDAY, Jan. 10

B-MOVIE BINGO: BULLETPROOF[MOVIES] Somehow, it took Wolf Choir’s schlock-cinema
treasure hunt a year to get to Gary Busey. But it got there. And it
chose the movie where he calls people “Butthorn.” Good work, B-Movie
Bingo! Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 281-4215. 7:30 pm. $5.